A Look at Neil Peart's Gear with Paul Wells (Part 3: 1994-2015) - EP 199 

I remember seeing El Darko sitting backstage at the R40 show in Lincoln, NE , and getting all excited, because I thought that I was going to get to hear those concert toms fills that I always loved. The long, concert tom fill in The Temples Of Syrinx was one of the reasons I became an instant Neil Peart and Rush fan back in 1976. Unfortunately, El Darko ended up sounding like it was still submerged in that lake in Romania. Even though DW made all those incredible shells and finishes, they still never sounded as good as the Ludwigs, Tamas, and Slingerlands IMHO.

I Soooooo enjoyed the hell out of this 3-part Neil series!!! RIP Professor.....

The time machine kit was the most depressing experience I ever had at a Rush concert, it was the first time I ever realized that my eyes don't work anymore. I couldn't even see the kit clearly and I realized, f*ck I'm getting old and it's downhill from here. But I was lucky enough to have seen every kit since the black slingerland A farewell to kings tour, when they were still young, and just starting to make it big ! I think it was there first world tour as a headline act. I'm not one of these rich guys that's seen them 150 times , but I have seen 1 show from every tour since 1978, every time they came to Montreal

Personally I think Neil put more thought, care, and creativity into his drum sets than a lot of pro rock drummers put into anything they do with their band. Really bothers me that I missed their last tour.

Honestly Him skipping the 12” concert Tom is something I’ve noticed but never understood but in Xanadu the ‘77 video you can see him several times going from the 10 CT to the 12 “closes tom” pretty great stuff and really helps paint a picture of which drums sounded what way and how tuning can really change the contour of the kit and how Neil’s tuning changed kit to kit and album to album

As a casual Rush fan and 30+ year bassist - I would watch 20 parts of this - love it & thank you so much guys!!

I have been impatiently waiting for part 3. Thank you so much!

Re: the two 12" toms and how Neil often (though not always) handled roundhouse fills, etc., I think the first time I ever heard him speak or write on the subject was in a reply to a reader in Modern Drummer's Ask a Pro section. Haven't read it in years, but I believe Neil's response began with, "Well, an interesting - if esoteric - observation!" and ended with something to the effect of, "When I have to decide between two things I like, I take both!" Kind of a revelation, because I finally understood what was going on with the tom tunings and, therefore, had a much clearer idea as to how he was orchestrating his drum parts. Pardon the mutliple comments. Chalk it up to pure, unbridled enthusiasm.

That was an incredible series. I learned more about Neil's drums in these 3 parts than throughout my 30 plus years following Rush.

Neil didn't wright the "Hockey Night in Canada" music. That has long been their theme. He just did a reworking of the song.

5th time through the Neil vids, can’t get enough of it!

Truly enjoyed this tribute to Neil and his kits, because there kind of inseparable. My first real introduction to the professor was when I bought the Work in progress VHS set! Absolutely became a fan of Neil and all of the bands work from the age of 17 until today. Thank you both for this one!!

This series was amazingly awesome. Thanks, Bart, for all you do.

I saw Rush in '81 on the Moving Pictures tour and he did have the 12" double-headed tom really cranked up tuning-wise so it had a lot of "bark".

This was a joy to watch. Thank you both so much for making this 3 part series. Absolutely awesome.

Well that was a most enjoyable 5+ hours. A tad unexpected, as I'm neither a drummer, nor a fan of Rush's music. I guess it's comforting to know there's this level of geekery/obsession in the world, and it's nice to see Mr Wells' visible excitement at being given the opportunity to expound at length on a subject he so obviously loves. Bravo, gentlemen...

My favorite was the Ludwig then the Tama kits. I preferred the sound of those kits although every kit that he played sounded great. Maybe it was the era and production that made the biggest difference. The Ludwig and Tama’s just sounded so precise and had pop.

Definitely we want to know more about Neil Peart and his legacy. He inspired thousands of drummers around the world including myself and he continue to do it. Thanks very much to both of you, this was great! 🥁

Neil Peart was the greatest drummer ever even though he has passed i still listen to Rush all the time RIP 🙏 NEIL PEART

Favourite? I guess it has to be "subdivisions", show of hands. Great drum sound and Neil being Neil.

25:16 This was the information I had been waiting for my whole life, how Neil used Crash over a Ride! Thank you, and 2h on ep 3 its not enough! Absolutely awesome, magical explanations and details!

I got to sit behind one of the Gold-plated DW kits with the Sabian 'Paragon' cymbals at the Birmingham Drum Centre.. they sounded incredible !! I took a lot of photos too

This was an amazing series! Thank you so much! The first real kit that I purchased was a Candy Apple Red Tama Superstar in 1986. I still have it :)

To help clarify, I don’t believe Neil wrote the Canadian Hockey theme song but rearranged and orchestrated with a modern sound featuring his playing on the drumset. The song was used on TV as the opening cue as early as the early 70’s as I remember. I also heard the RCMP play it live in concert during that era as well. Neil’s orchestration is beautifully done and is really thrilling to hear. I’m certain that someone has the definitive information on the song and who recorded it for the TV broadcast..

It is, in fact, "Ay-AHT." (Imagine if Freddie Mercury had started a drum company called Ayo. However, I digress...) Would have been so interesting if Neil had gone with them. They have totally unique sound. Can't tell you how much I've enjoyed hearing Paul talk about Neil's kits. His knowledge is encyclopedic. Absolutely mindblowing. He's a world-class jazz player, so he has a far broader (and more compelling) perspective than someone who's just a Rush or prog or hard rock fan. He addresses so many things here that I wouldn't even know where to begin. Thank you both very much for this.

The 8x12 closed toms in Neil's Tama and Ludwig kits were, I always thought, the most expressive voices in his microcosmic orchestra. The sound was simply unlike anything else. They were tuned in a bebop range, but, thanks to the head combinations Neil favored, they didn't sound like bebop drums. They were warmer- and throatier-sounding. I was always most fascinated by the 8x12 double-headed tom, the 6" concert tom, and the gong bass when I was a kid. I never knew that those stacked cymbal stands were, in essence, "homemade," though I guess I should've known. There was a company who began offering commercially-manufactured cymbal stacking stands in the late 70s/early 80s. They advertised frequently in Modern Drummer at the time.

One of the best songs on the internet-Exit stage left Xanadu

Just tremendous guys. Listened to the first 2 episodes intently. Thanks so much for all this amazing info on our hero.

I grew up with in the Moving Pictures era. Saw them first on that tour in 1981 in the UK. Then later on the Hold Your Fire tour. For me it was the Tama kit and the Zildjian cymbals all the way. Huge influence on me in terms of sound and aesthetics. Also I think the Terry Brown production sound. Came to Rush again much later and enjoyed the sound of the later albums and different production style but emotionally it’s always that earlier punchy Tama sound with which I really connect.

I was a huge Primus fan as a teen, and they played Rush songs and spoke how great Rush is, so I bought the R30 DVD without knowing anything else about Rush. I remember thinking how serious and stiff Peart seemed, and how tinny his toms sounded. But awesome songs and awesome drumset and stuff!!

Great job guys. Neil would be so proud and humble for this.

This series was a Neil drum kit geek heaven! Such a great podcast I have subscribed brilliant presentation and you didn’t skimp on the details. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this, I’m a major drum nerd and love every little detail about any drum kit, so I’ve always been obsessed with Neil Peart’s kits.

I really enjoyed all three videos you guys did on Neil's drums, great job!

Many thanks for this series on Neil’s kits. I’m not a drummer but have loved Rush since Caress of Steel. This series has been like listening to a fascinating discussion from the golden age of radio. Outstanding work. Thank you ✌️

I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

HUMONGOUS RUSH fan here. (And also guitarist) I know next to squat about drums BUT gear is gear and geeking out on gear is always cool in my book.

I work 3-11. Its usually around 2 am before I get to bed. You guys don't know how much sleep you have cost me the last 2 nights. All of this information was priceless! Thank guys, Thomas, Mississippi!!

I'm a bass player /former live engineer. I watched every minute of all 3 parts, thanks!!

Great job with this guys. I watched all three segments, waiting for the drop of parts two and three. You did a great job here and did the man, the musician and his gear serious justice! Thanks for taking this on.

This could not be bettered and I would bet even Neil wouldn't have known every detail Paul has researched and shared in these podcasts. Truly truly exceptional ❤️

Loved this entire series! Great information. Thank you Bart!

A most enjoyable series! Thank you for taking the time to put it together!

Wonderful x 3 =Thanks Bart and Paul for such a wonderfully detailed description of Neil Peart equipment! Drummers love this stuff- keep doing this with other drummers.

I have checked just about every day since finding the first 2 in this series to see when this would be posted. Great stuff, thank you for doing this

Very illuminating docu!

Great stuff! Thanks for pulling this project together.

Well done, enjoyed it very much!

Brilliant, thank you!!

What an excellent series of videos guys! Thank you very much for this gift! By the way...my favorite kit (looking and sound) is the Roll the Bones/Counterparts one. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I love this channel,This is as cool as it gets

What a fantastic and interesting series! Thanks so much gentlemen!

This was a phenomenal series gents. Great job and I'll be coming back to it for reference 👍🏻

Thanks for the info on the professor drum kits,really enjoyed all the details

There is so much information in all 3 parts of these videos. I think I'll need to watch them all 10 times for some of the amazing information to sink in haha I really enjoyed the pictures too. Some of them I've never seen before! So cool... Thanks for doing this Paul & Bart!

Thank you, Thank You, Thank You :) x

Thanks guys. You guys carried me through two ten hour days of work. And I watched this stuff multiple times. Again thanks from a huge rush/Neil fan

Spot on with the nostalgia point. My first Rush show was when I was 14 and it was the Signals tour, so Tama for me.

This series has been amazing! Thanks for the in-depth details. Learning so many new things! Nothing against DW drums but I'm a fan of his sound from Permanent Waves to Signals. The drums were punchy and not a ton of resonance. It also has to do with how they were mic'd and engineered. The DW era for Neil was too resonant for my ears but the snare drums were on point. Being a drummer myself, I have always kept that in mind when tuning my drums. I use coated Ambassadors to tame the tones without relying on tape or moon gel. It's cliché but Moving Pictures was the sound I always strive for.

Great series! Thank you!!

I always leave myself room to enter and exit my kit during shows, but, of course, that's exactly where the bassist and guitar players want to put their amps and gear LOL

Yes he was very inovated.increating the sound he liked..

the 3 parts of legend neil peart was so good thanks guys

Hooray can’t wait! 🎉

Neil’s red DW is my favorite of his kits I think. There is just something special about it.

What a great series filled with great information and super entertaining. Cant help but becoming emotional when your talking about this man and the incredible music Rush gave us. We lived at goldenA time in music for progressive rock. Rush was the sound track of my life. Thanks for doing this your guys. What a great tribute to Neil Peart. As someone who has three toms over the highhat 11/12/13 on my Vintage Ludwig Vistalite kit. Your comments about how Neil considered the toms over the high hats made me smile. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

In my early teens I listened to the Rush albums (from Fly By Night through Grace Under Pressure) so many times that literally every note is permanently seared into my memory. So when Paul references a part of a song by way of an example of how a particular piece sounded, I am pretty sure I know exactly what he is talking about without going back to any of the music.

Excellent trip through History. Well done.

*_Amazing_* series. Thank you, I learned a lot. Fan/drummer since ‘81.

Again: 2 hours of livetime just flew away when listening to you two guys talking about Neil's Gear. I loved that series of podcasts although I was hoping on a little more details on the DW era as for me it was tackled a liitle too less. But okay, as Paul said: Everyone has its preferred era an mine definitely is the DW one. Thanks a lot for talking about the Hockey kit. Unfortunately Neil's tune is no longer played in Canada as they have changed the Hockey Night events on TV. But that's another story. To sum up: Thank you so much for this roughly 5 hours of entertainment.

Wow you guys really know your stuff. Love your show!!🤘

Loved the other two episodes, enjoying this one...looking forward to more conversations about Neil!

I saw Rush in montreal with Max Webster playing the first part back in 1978 ! Sitting in the 4 th row ! Funny enough at that time the tickets were 3.99$ and was some sort of special Canadian tour price ! Amazing 🫶🏼

Hi guys! great programm and such a thrill to hear about Neil's set up along the years! good to hear some secrets about the professor! great hug from a big fan of Rush and Neil, keep on goin' guys! Mariano from Argentina

So much enjoyed the series. Have always been a fan of Neil. This series has given so much perspective on his brilliance and forever quest to improve and be better. He wasn’t called the PROFESSOR for nothing. Thank you Bart and Paul for being so precise and factual. Dank je wel!!

Great episode! I could’ve used a fourth!

LOVE THIS!!!

So glad I'm not the only fan who nerds out on this stuff. One of my favorite things in the tour program was Neil's update on the current kit and how it changed from record to record, so of course this is a treat.

I'm just getting to these (really wonderful) episodes, and when Ayotte was brought up it ( 32:59 ) clicked a memory I have of speaking to someone at the company. I was working at a drum store in NJ in the mid-2000s and we were interested in carrying Ayottes. As the rep and I were talking I mentioned Neil, and this rep told me that they were in talks to work with him in the mid-90s, but that they were worried about the possibility that he would want a lot of different aldrin sets for touring, and studios, and more. Ayotte was a very small company and they felt they wouldn't have been able to keep up with his demands, let alone the demands that would occur if he endorsed them. And so they passed on the partnership. As someone who never liked the sound of DWs, but really dug what Ayotte was doing, I was pretty bummed.

Such a great series! Learned quite a bit about Neil's drums. I know i'm late now, but I was hoping to hear a bit about some of the extra gear Neil had hidden away, like those little hand dryers, some of microphones and monitoring systems, and also how the electronic drums were handled by the techs, plus how the rotating stage was constructed. If ever there could be a part 4, would love to hear a bit more about the behind the scenes stuff too. Thanks again!

Thanks Paul! I met Paul through Dean who owned Chromey. Definitely knows a lot. I learned a great deal through him. I got a photo of us (Paul, Dean and I) outside the Rhythm Discovery Center in my Chromey scrapbook. I definitely appreciate your contributions to the community! Great video series. Thanks for posting this.

Another dynamite episode!!! Most interesting drum podcast out there easy!! Nice work!

All of Sonor’s German-made kits are undersized, vertical grain shells.

Loved it 👏👏

Once again, a fantastic presentation and this time I wanted to comment as I watch. Regarding the pitch of his “open” vs. “closed” toms, the best recording (IMHO) to really hear the tuning is Exit…Stage Left (I mentioned this is my favorite before). That 12” double headed tom is cranked super high. Very distinct when he plays it. The lows of the 12” concert tom stand out on the 1/16th note fill in the 4 at the end of the first vocal section of Freewill.

Great work and a great series of episodes. Really enjoyable! One thing worth noting, I think from Time Machine onwards (after the 2008 BR Memorial concert) Neil liked the Artisan 14" Hats he used on that show so much they ended up becoming the new X hats and the 14" paragons taking place of the 13's as his main setup, which also accounts for the change in hi hat sound you described. Also on the R40 wood, there was a couple of logs not just the one tree, which were found while dredging the river. The trees were 1500 years old but only fell about 500 years ago as I remember John Good telling it. Theres lots more info on this in the Edge Factory 'Masters of Resonance' documentary which is a great watch. Owning an ICON snare myself, it is definitely a blacker finish rather than a dark blue up close, but its the colour of the veneer as its a natural wood that has been dyed black, and all the logos aren't painted on, they're laser cut and inlaid woods (details of which can be found in the R40 Icon snare info, but from memory its Maple, dyed red poplar and Paduk. The snare shell at least by the DW label is HVLT so the outer ply is Horizontal which I'd assume is the same on all drums, and if the bigger sizes follow the trends of previous DW kits they'd be HVLX or something of that nature.

Bravo 👏

I always wondered what happened to his kits after he died. The answer is for the most part: donated to Canadian music programs in schools. What I found out is that there wasn’t just one kit, there were many. There were multiple Ludwig, Tama & DW kits. Apparently Rush had a warehouse in Toronto that was pretty full.

The real deep dive I haven’t heard yet is how was he tuning his stuff. Was he tuning his DW’s to the shell notes. Was he tuning top and bottom heads the same? Where is his number one Slingerland snare at now? If you could get Lorne on and really get into the nuts and bolts of how he was tuning his drums would be AWESOME. Just chatting with the techs for these guys would be incredible.

My ‘growing up’ period with Rush (high school when I couldn’t wait to get my fresh issue of Modern Drummer) was Roll the Bones and Counterparts. But, musically I’m partial to the Slingerland and Tama eras. My first Rush album was Chronicles and my favorite Rush songs are from 2112 to Moving Pictures. So, growing up, I always associated Neil with Ludwig and single bass but I’m partial to big double bass kits and the old tunes so I was so excited to see the 40th anniversary throwback kit for the final tour!

And I also add that my Neil's favourite drum kit is the blue one from Ludwig with Zildjian cymbals of Counterparts period (drums sounds massive in that record and live!) and the first DW's with Zildjian Avedis cymbals from Test for Echo period. thanks!

I found this 3-part series of one of my favorite drummers so fascinating, I had to watch all three episodes for my second time. I just finished the third episode a minute ago. So I began listening to Rush when they came out with their Fly By Night album and wasn’t quite sure what to think. By the time I heard 2112 I became more interested. Began playing when I was 7 in 1972 so you could only imagine the impact Neil Peart had on me. I’d play and listen to him for hours. My dad and my first drum teacher kept telling me to just stick with it no pun intended, as I’d get so frustrated at times. Long story short I did and learned every Rush song from every hour. Now at 57 years old there’s some songs I can’t play anymore due to arthritis in my hands and knees. But with that all said, all you young drummers learning Rush right now Id advise you to learn all your rudiments. Practice your rudiments all over your kit so you avoid getting bored and just “Stick” with it! There’s no reward like being able to play Tom Sawyer for the first time, or La Villa Strangiato or whatever your goals are. Happy Drumming and a big thanks to Bart and Paul! I thoroughly enjoyed this three part session and I’ve learned so many things I never knew about Neil Peart! ✌️

One point of clarification. "The Hockey Theme" was not written by Neil Peart. it was written by Delores Claman. Neil simply arranged a newer version. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hockey_Theme

Been waiting for this one!

Great series. Even though I knew 99% of the info, it was still so enjoyable to hear. Thanks!

Drum heads on the El Darko concert toms were Remo clear ambassadors

That closed 12" tom is "his sound" to me. It was so unique and it wasn't until the mid 80s that I realized what you're talking about - it was tuned higher than the 12" concert tom and he'd use it very strategically

A drum professor from Juilliard likes Neil Peart? I never thought when I heard Neil in 1975 that such a thing would come to pass. The first time I saw Rush was January 1977 in a 2000-seat hall, and 1500 of them were empty. When they returned to the same venue in October it was sold out. Peart was jaw droppingly unbelievable even in his salad days, but everyone here knows that.

Once again, LOVING this looong video. NP talks specificity why he changes his approach and physical drum kit (moving the ride closer to him...replacing the 15" rack tom with the ride)in his 1996 instructional video "A Work in Progress". Never knew about the 2 18" back kit kick drums. Wow! Also, at 1:06:57 it appears to be a Remo Pinstripe on the 22" red sparkle kick batter. I'm not sure he ever had a DW clear/coated head on there, as in I don't think DW made those hears back then. I the instructional video "A Work in Progress" he seems to have either a Remo clear Ambassador or emperor head on his kick.

Fantastic series ! Thank you so much !. I don’t know if it’s me, but I never warmed to the DW closed concert tom sound. My all time favourite of Neil’s drum sets are the Candy Apple Red Tamas